The Fairleigh Dickinson baseball team dropped a pair of seven inning games Saturday afternoon to Monmouth by scores of 7-2 and 8-3 at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck. The visitors jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead after three innings in the first game before coasting to the victory. In game two, the Knights led 3-0 after four innings before Monmouth scored five times in the fifth and three times in the sixth to put the game out of hand. With the victories, the Hawks improve to 27-15 (18-5 NEC) on the season, while the Knights fall to 8-32 (5-18 NEC) overall.
In game one, the Hawks struck for three runs in the top half the first, all with two outs, as Ed Martin launched a three-run homer over the right field fence to put the visitors ahead, 3-0.
Monmouth put up its second three-spot of the game in the top half of the third to take a 6-0 lead. With two outs in the frame, Jake Gronsky delivered an RBI single up the middle, Owen Stewart followed with an RBI double to left field, and Jon Guida walked with the bases loaded to score the third run.
The Knights got on scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth with two runs to cut the deficit to 6-2. Senior Erik Pollag (Sicklerville, NJ/Paul VI) (Sicklerville, NJ) led off the inning with a single to right field. The next batter, sophomore Eric Anderson (Allendale, N.J./Northern Highlands) (Allendale, NJ), hit a sharp groundball that was headed for right field but hit Pollag on the play, resulting in runner's interference and the first out. Anderson reached first base and was credited with a single. Senior Joe Martino (Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke) (Westbury, NY) then stepped to the plate and hit his second two-run home run to dead center field in as many days as his round-tripper cut the lead to four.
In the top of the seventh, the Hawks scored another two-out run to extend their lead to 7-2 as Gronsky hit a ball in the hole at shortstop for an infield single. On the play, Nick Pulsonetti scored on the throw to first as he was running non-stop from second base on the play.
FDU did not get any closer as Monmouth took the opener, 7-2.
After being tagged for six earned runs over the first three innings, senior Nick Melchiorre (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Holy Cross) (Mt. Laurel, NJ) (2-7) was tagged with the loss despite settling down over the final 3.2 innings he threw. On the day, Melchiorre gave up seven earned runs on six hits, while walking five and striking out three in 6.2 innings of work.
Anderson led the Knights' seven-hit attack by going a perfect 3-for-3 with a run scored. Martino drove home both runs with his second home run of the season.
In game two, neither team scored over the first two innings. However, in the bottom of the third, the Knights used a two-out rally to score three times to take a 3-0 lead. After the first two men in the inning lined out, senior Brian Dillon (Sarasota, FL/Cardinal Mooney) (Sarasota, FL) drew a walk. On the first pitch, senior DJ Robinson (Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) (Woodbury, NJ) perfectly executed a hit-and-run as he lined a single to left field, advancing Dillon to third and putting runners on the corners.
Martino came through once again in the clutch as he hit a 0-2 pitch sharply up the middle that was knocked down by the second baseman. His infield RBI single scored Dillon and advanced Robinson to second base. Junior Mike Eliasen (Swedesboro, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) (Swedesboro, NJ) then came to the plate and hit a soft chopper to third to reach on an infield single, thus loading the bases.
Junior Matt Holsman (Coral Springs, FL/Stoneman Douglas) (Coral Springs, FL) delivered the big hit of the inning as he snuck in two-run single to right field that was trapped by the right fielder, allowing Robinson and Martino to score on the play and giving the Knights a three-run advantage.
After neither team scored in the fourth, the Monmouth bats came to life in the top of the fifth as they scored five times to take a 5-3 lead. The first four men of the inning reached base to begin the frame. Ryan Terry drove home the first run with a sharp single to center field. Pulsonetti then crushed a three-run home run to left-center field to give the Hawks their first lead of the game. With two out s and the bases loaded, Jamie Rosenkranz singled to right field for his second hit of the inning to score Gronsky for the fifth run, but senior Steven LaForge (Garfield, NJ/St. Mary) (Garfield, NJ) was able to gun down Cal Costanzo, who tried to score from second base, for the final out of the inning.
The Hawks then took advantage of a lead-off error by the Knights in the top of the sixth and tacked three unearned runs to their lead to go ahead, 8-3, which is all they would need to complete the sweep.
Senior Chris Theordor (Staten Island, NY/Staten Island Tech) (Staten Island, NY) (0-7) started on the hill for the Knights and pitched well over the first four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. He went 4.1 innings, allowing five runs, all earned, on five hits, while walking five and striking out none.
Robinson and Eliasen each went 2-for-3 to lead the Knights' eight-hit attack, while Holsman drove home a pair of runs.
The Knights and Hawks will conclude their four-game NEC series on Sunday at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
